


Adaptability

by DollBlood



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Gen, Reader is an artist, Reader is basically an OC, You r a golden boy, a shiny pretty self-absorbed golden boy, and a bit of a prick, but so is Tamatoa so they get along, but the name is never really mentioned, eating monster meat may have undesired results, i am writng this for the pettiest reason oh my god, little bit of gore, monster meat tastes nasty but hey what can you do, reader is from Egypt, some monsters were harmed in the writing of this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-17 09:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9314642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DollBlood/pseuds/DollBlood
Summary: You were an artist. a really fucking good one. So its just like life to pull this on you when you were about to reach your peak.Well, no one could ever say that you never tried to adapt to your new predicament.





	1. Jade

**Author's Note:**

> i didnt even know people actually shipped themselves with the giant crab, and this is only a romance if you squint, but if you want to see it that way then im not gonna stop you. I made this for one reason and one reason only, and that reason will come clear in a few chapters.
> 
> in the meantime, have fun becoming this narcissistic jerk I made lol

You were an artist. The best in your land, and by gods, your land was big. People of high standing all across Egypt and into the areas of south-western Mesopotamia had come to know of your work. Kings traded you off between them to do works for them, and each time warranted a higher and higher price for your nimble hands and brilliant mind.

Each finished piece brought you anything you could ever want, and as a man who had once been stranded on the streets with nothing, well, one could say you wanted _everything_.

You had only recently finished a piece for the king of the city of Meskalamdug, and decided to take full use of his prized tattoo artists. Good ones were hard to come by, so you took what you could get at each destination you came to.

As you laid back and the man above you pierced your chin with a needle covered in silver ink, you contemplated where this king would send you next. Surely, it would be somewhere grand. He was auctioning you off, sending you out to the highest bidder, and the last you had heard, there were several kings and nobles outside of the desert who were wanting your hands.

Another person may have hated being treated like something to be bought, but as you sat back and watched the prices for you rise, all you could feel was pride. You had worked out of poverty, you had stood on top of the people you left behind to get here, and now you lived in the lap of luxury. You were basically king, if it weren't for the ruling part of the title. King of your craft, though, certainly.

The artist above you jumped from the sound of a distant door slamming open and misplaced his next mark, and you frowned.

"I thought you were the best here?" You snapped, grabbing the needle out of his shaking hands.

"I-I am, sir. I just-"

"Any artist worth his weight would block all sounds out while he worked so mistakes don't happen. I will do the rest myself. Leave."

"But sir-"

"I said leave!" You pointed at the door and the man slunk away. You pulled up a mirror and continued his work, which was really quite simple. You didn't need another person to do it, but you had been hoping for some time to relax. Clearly, you weren't going to get it if you wanted everything to be perfect.

You continued the bold line of silver that ran from the middle of your lip down your chin, stopping at your beard. You wouldn't cut off your beautiful hair just to have one tattoo run all the way down your chin; you weren't that desperate for  your art.

It took well over an hour to do in the mirror, but when you were done, you were happy with the outcome. It went well with the golden tattoos running down your arms and back. A splash of silver on your otherwise dark face was eye catching and unsuspected, just like your art.

As you put your hair up into a bun, a messenger came to the room the king had so kindly given to you while you worked on his request.

"Sir, the king has chosen the next to receive you."

"It's about time." You said, checking yourself in the mirror one last time before standing and following the man to where the king would tell you of your next destination.

* * *

 

"Japan?" You asked again, slightly shocked that word of you had traveled that far.

"Yes, the emperor promised me two Jade dragons. Any other bid couldn't compete with that." The king responded.

"How do you expect me to get there? Walking a short distance from one city to another is one thing, but that is a very long journey. Sir."

"There is a trade ship in the south port, headed for china. I have arranged for you to take precedence over anything on that ship. I have also arranged for a cart to take you down there. I assure you, I do not intend for you to be stranded. I will certainly want your skills again someday."

You smirked and nodded.

"Of course sir, perhaps for your daughter's wedding? I've been told I can create a beautiful ring set, as well as henna like you have never seen."

The king laughed.

"Perhaps I will have her marry you, just so I can get such things for free!"

"Oh, sir, why would you get it free, surely I am marrying your daughter, not you?"

You shared another laugh, and then the king sent you off to pack your things.

As you packed your trunk, you couldn't help the giddy smile spreading across your face. You were traveling across the sea. Never in your early days, did you believe you would get this far. Perhaps a kind noble would buy a painting from your stand, but never actually commission something!

But now you were to travel across the ocean itself to bring your talents to a man who had only heard of you through rumors, who had paid for you with _Jade dragons_.

As servants came to collect you and your things, you schooled your expression. No one would get to see you as anything but cool and aloof.

You were loaded into a cart, and began your journey to the sea. The ride would take quite a few hours, so you settled back and began the long, arduous process of determining how you should act for your new employer. Each new king, Pharoh, and Emperor was a new person. You couldn't joke with your first employer like you did with the one you just left. You had to learn to adapt to each new place to be able to schmooze your way into the rich-folk's hearts, and to get more pay.

* * *

 

The boat was grand. You weren't familiar with sailing, but seeing such a large ship float was truly something else.

You were given a cabin all to yourself, and left alone to plan what you may need for your next piece.

It would take two weeks at least, to get to China, and another day to get from that port to Japan. It wasn't like you didn't have time to think, but you liked to be prepared, and to have a sample catalog that was different for each ruler that hired you. This emperor could choose outside of the catalog, of course, but it was always good to show him what you were capable of.

You began some sample sketches as you left the docks, and started your voyage.

* * *

 

It's wasn't until the third day at sea, that you really realized what being away from the desert would entail. Rain had been pattering against the boat for hours longer than you had ever witnessed, and it didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. The constant rain was giving you a headache, so you turned over in your hammock and tried to get some more rest.

* * *

 

Sea sickness was the _worst_ thing to ever happen to you.

The seventh day, the storm had let up, but your relief was short lived as the waves caused your stomach to churn up last night's dinner, and you were stuck to the rails of the ship for hours as you puked every last ounce of food out of your stomach, and then some. You glared at anyone who came near, except for the crew chef, who brought you water to wash out the disgusting taste building in your mouth.

* * *

The eighth day, you were back at work, but kept a bin nearby, should a wave send you back into the sickness.

* * *

Day ten, another storm struck. You holed yourself up in your room as the crew shouted from the deck. You locked your door to make sure no one interrupted you, but the shouting continued through the deafening roar of thunder.

At one point, someone knocked on your door, but you refused to answer.

You didn't suspect anything about the shouts becoming screams, until the ship gave a violent shake and you were thrown from your seat. The lantern on your desk fell and rolled to the corner, and it felt as if your world turned upside down as the ship capsized.

Any prayer you sent to your gods was received too late, as your head hit a wall and you blacked out.


	2. Silver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this realm of monsters is far from your god's reach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit??? almost 100 hits in 2 days? none of my other fics got that many reads so quick like gotdam guys y'all'er thirsty for new fics. i was gonna lost this later but people seem legit excited for this so heres an early update!

You woke in your cabin, as if nothing was wrong, but the fact that there was no movement of water beneath you told you that something was very wrong. Unless you had slept for four days, you should not have been stopped yet.

You shakily stood and picked up your lantern, which was miraculously still lit. You unlocked your door and opened it slowly.

What you were met with defied all logic.

A creature with multiple limbs and a glowing mask was hunched over the dead body of one of the crew. It looked up at you when the door creaked, and it shrieked. You slammed the door shut and locked it before sliding down it and trying to catch your breath.

You had never seen anything like that, and had it not been devouring the crew member, you would have been happy to try to draw it. But now all you could envision was the blood splattered across the mask that seemed to be its face.

You took in your surroundings with new eyes, and realized something very important.

You didn't have food or water in here.

You would have to go out at some point if you didn't want to die a slow, painful death, and you had already experienced starvation first hand before, so no thank you.

You took a breath and tried to think.

This was just a new thing to adapt to. You had adapted to the streets, and then to each client after you got popular. This was no different, you just had to figure out how to survive.

You heaved a sigh and stood, lantern in one hand, and the copper knife you used to sharpen charcoal in your other. You hesitated, but pulled the door open quickly, just to get it over with. Like tearing a strip of bandage off of an infected wound.

...

There were no monsters waiting for you outside. Had it not been for the blood stained wood just outside that showed where a body had been dragged off the ship, you would have thought you had imagined the creature completely.

You walked to the railing of the ship and looked out to the dark expanse you were now stuck in, but as your eyes began to adjust to the dim light, you found yourself surrounded by luminous colors. The ship was stuck between two rock faces, but beyond them, stood a landmass that glowed with pinks and purples. If you squinted against the glowing, you could see creatures wandering about on the land, which sat several yards away. Too far to jump, but you could probably climb the rock face and reach the land.

Before you could try, though, you heard a hissing above you.

You looked up and shrieked at the sight of large flying creatures with eight eyes flying towards you. They had nasty claws and teeth, and you were not liking the way they looked at you, so you threw your hands up defensively, and an attack never came.

You looked up to see them hovering, but would not come closer than about ten feet. You looked at yourself, then at the lantern and knife in your hands. The knife really wasn't very threatening, so you thrust the lantern up at the creatures, and they howled as they backed up more.

You grinned.

"Back!" You yelled, stepping forward and thrusting the lantern at them until they flew away. You felt giddy. The creatures, while clearly used to the soft glowing of the island, did not seem to like your golden light. You considered this as you looked at your skin, already shining gold from your many tattoos. Down your left arm, you had the detailed expanse of the ocean waves, and your right held your artist rendition of the cosmos far above. They joined at your back, where they melted into a golden desert scene of your homeland.

But your chest, legs, and most of your face was void of bright shiny art, so you went to your cabin to retrieve your inks and pigments.

You didn't have the tools for proper tattoos, but you could still paint your skin with golden patterns. You started with your legs, which only received long lines along your calfs, that disappeared under your skirt. Your chest was covered in swirls and lines that you used to trace your chest muscles. With your face, you used a mirror to watch yourself apply powder gold pigment to your eyelids, and silver powder pigment made lines and dots along your cheek bones and forehead. You dusted your beard and hair with the silver powder, and made sure to shine the large diamond gauges in your ears, then grinned at yourself. You looked positively shining, and you wondered why you never did this before.

You set out once again, lantern in hand and knife in its sheath around your waist, as you carefully climbed from the rock over to the landmass.

* * *

 

The creatures here were like nothing you had ever seen. Most glowed, but nothing was gold, and most sentient life cowered from you as you trudged through the odd foliage.

It was, actually, the flora you found to be the most dangerous. Flowers tried to eat you, bushes shot darts and thorns at you, at some places, the ground itself had teeth.

What sentient creatures did attack you, quickly found the nasty end of your knife, and were put to good use as food for the plants that wished you were dinner.

You explored much of the land, but you had your limits. Your stomach growled, and your eyelids grew heavy, so you found one of the trees that grew fruit and did not try to devour you, and within a few minutes, you had a very odd colored supper.

After the food, you made your way back to the ship, and back to your room that you could lock. You had to chase out a strange creature, but it was much more afraid of you than you were of it.

You were too tired to think once your body hit the hammock. You were out before you could consider how odd your situation was.

* * *

 

Over the next few days, or what you imagined were days, as there wasn't a day or night here, you stocked up on the strange fruit of the land. On day three, one of the bizarre multi-limbed beasts attempted to attack you, and when you gutted it, you decide against feeding it to the plant life, and instead dragged it back to the ship you had made your home base.

By burning candles and lanterns on the deck, you were able to keep most monsters at bay, and the ones undeterred were sent packing when you hurt them.

Most of the larger beasts were less afraid of the golden glow, and instead seemed attracted to it, but after being burned, stabbed, or bit, the smarter ones decided to leave you alone.

No one could ever say you couldn't adapt to your surroundings.

During your trips onto the landmass, you watched the fauna interact, and learned from the top predators.

It seemed that most of the beasts were colored bright colors, but most were pink, purple, or green. Never once, did you see a golden one. The creatures used hypnotic movements and their bright colors to either attract their prey, or to scare off larger predators. Nothing could fend off the carnivorous plants, however, so you took note to remember which ones had a taste for blood, and which ones didn't.

You didn't particularly like the taste of the beasts you killed, but it was better than eating only fruits for the rest of your life. You weren't stupid, you had taken note of the water that made up this land's sky; had seen the fish and whales swimming idly above as you fought for your life. You weren't about to get out of here anytime soon when the only way out was through who knows how many miles of water.

And it wasn't like you hated it. You could do whatever you wanted. You pissed off the edge of the land, you could kill anything you wanted to, and if you didn't want to eat it, nothing cared about you leaving the body to the elements. In fact, the beasts seemed to like those days best, as the small ones got a risk free meal from something that otherwise would have killed them.

You only wished you could be appreciated for your work, like how it was on the surface. You wanted kings to fawn and fight over who got you again. You wanted people to have auction wars to get ahold of one of your works. You wanted to be adored again.

But you were stuck in this land of beasts, learning to hypnotize creatures with the golden paint on your dark skin. The only sense of pride you felt these days was taken from the look of mesmerized bliss on a creature's face the moment before your movements got you close enough to kill it.

* * *

 

Soon enough, you had an abundance of food for yourself in the boat. Beast and fruit alike were kept in the stores, and you could sit back without worry on the deck of the ship. You could spend your days draped in your chair and not doing anything of any importance.

But after what felt like weeks of constant adapting and scavenging, you felt antsy when you finally sat still and did nothing.

After several very uncomfortable minutes, you collected your sketching supplies, and made your way to the land. You had to occupy your time doing _something_ , it might as well be doing what you have always done.

You found a secluded area, free of blood thirsty plants, and sat down to begin drawing what was around you.

As the hours passed, several beasts passed you by, but did not linger after catching sight of you. You had certainly made a name for yourself after slaughtering several beasts in cold blood. You smirked at the thought.

As you worked, you failed to notice the vine working its way towards you, slowly, like a snake. Had you looked up, you would have recognized it as one of the plants that could shoot its own poison thorns at prey. You had harnessed its poison occasionally, to take down beasts larger than you. Had you taken note of the plant, you could have dodged the thorn shot into your back.

But you paid the flora no mind as you worked on a sketch of a particularly bright flower, and in the end, you paid the price as the poison worked its way up your spine to paralyze you, and you blacked out before you could act.


	3. diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> something everyone has probably been waiting for this whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! SUPER COOL STUFF! [here is a pic](https://qu33nbeee.tumblr.com/post/155836185143/so-my-general-name-for-the-moana-readeroc-is) i drew of how i, personally, see the reader, and even cooler than that is [this](http://psychichideoutlover-blog-blog.tumblr.com/post/156054094036) is a pic of how hystericalmode imagines him! I love seeing how everyone imagines him, so if you want to try drawing your own version, hit me up at [my tumblr](https://qu33nbeee.tumblr.com/)
> 
> anyways, on with the story! i figure y'all have been waiting for this moment for a while, huh?

You were lucky, Tamatoa thought. Had he not been already searching for the shiny creature that he had heard about from the rumors spreading around Lalotai, you would have been plant food.

He had pegged you to be smarter than that, though. A new, shiny creature had fallen into the land of monsters, and quickly made a name for itself by cutting down any beast in its path without a second thought. It was like you were made for the beast-eat-beast world down here, but he found you being shot down by one of those pesky vines, and you barely had any fight in you.

He had rescued you, of course. Because you were still just as bright as the rumors said. Even if you were not the warrior type like he had heard, you would be a beautiful addition to his collection.

He had set you on top of one of his golden piles, and he stared to take you all in. You looked human shaped, but he had never seen a human like you. You were far darker than the other humans he had seen, and your hair was corded, not simply wavy.

Some of the gold on your skin came off on his claws, but the golden art on your arms and back seemed to be an actual part of your skin. He thought that Maui could learn a thing or two about tattoos from you.

Your ears held large shiny stones literally inside of the lobes. He was tempted to try to remove them, but wasn't sure if they were earrings or actually a part of you. Hurting you, his new treasure, was the last thing he wanted to do. Instead he watched you from afar as your body worked through its paralysis, and he waited for you to wake up.

* * *

Your eyes opened, finally, several hours later. You blinked slowly as you took in the brightness of his cave, and he was taken with your eyes. They were blue, like his own, and he had never seen a human with eyes that weren't brown.

"Who are you?" He asked, and your head whipped around to see him.

Instead of responding, you slowly stood and began a series of movements that caused the tattoos on your arms to shine as you crept off of the pile he had set you on. He recognized those movements; they were similar to the hypnotic show many of the monsters here put on to distract prey. He chuckled and blocked the exit of his cave with one of his claws, and you stopped altogether.

"I asked you a question. I'm not stupid, like the little guys out there."

You stared at him, looking him up and down, then a smirk slowly slid onto your face and you rested a hand on your hip.

"No, I suppose you aren't."

"So, little shiny, what are you?" Tamatoa asked again, this time leaning down to get closer to you.

"I am a master artisan from the west. Are you saying you haven't heard of me? Kings have been groveling for my work for the past seven years."

"Then you must be valuable, yeah?"

"I am worth every ounce a king has, but I am humble enough to only take a little of his wealth." You said, placing a hand over your heart.

"You'll fit in perfectly with my collection, then."

"Collection?"

"You didn't notice what you were standing on?" He moved to the side, and watched your eyes light up at the sight of the piles of golden treasure.

"Oh, the things I could do with all of this." You whispered, and Tamatoa paused.

"What do you mean?"

"I could melt this all down and build the greatest golden statue ever known!" You said, still taking in the riches.

Tamatoa looked, and felt, affronted.

"You will do no such thing!" He shouted, and you just laughed.

"Of course I won't. It's not like I have a forge or my supplies with me here. The best I could maybe do right is some engraving."

"Are you implying that you and other humans made all of this?"

You frowned and looked across the hills of golden wares.

"Yeah... what, did you think gold came out of the ground already in the shape of a plate or crown?" You picked up the nearest object - a small disk intricately engraved with words from another language and what may have been a face, if it hadn't been worn down with age. It may have been a coin from some land you've never been.

"Well it's not like I've seen it any other way, you know."

"Of course. Big crab under the sea. Not the best place to find gold."

"I am far more than just some big crab, human. I am the glamorous Tamatoa!"

You gave him a bored glance before looking back at your nails. There was dirt trapped under your thumb and you scraped it out using one of your other nails.

"Sorry, who?"

"Oh come on, all you humans gotta know me, I fought your precious Maui!"

"I have no idea who that is."

Tamatoa looked shocked, then a slow smirk found its way onto his face. He crept up close to you as he chucked. He smelled like rotting fish when he stood so close to you.

"No idea you say? He'd be heartbroken to hear that. Poor little demigod, forgotten to everyone worth something."

"None of my gods are named Maui, Demi or otherwise. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"And pray tell, what are your gods like?"

You grinned and looked up at him again.

"Isis is the most cunning and brilliant of the gods. Anubis is depicted with the head of a jackal. It's all very interesting if you sit down and learn all about it. But that is a very long conversation and you already seem bored."

Indeed, as you talked, Tamatoa's gaze had slid over to his piles of gold and was not so discreetly fawning over his collection. You watched him for a moment, a hint of jealousy eating at you. _You_ were supposed to be the one to be fawned over, not these piles of junk made by other artists.

You turned to leave.

"If that's all, I'm going back to my base. I could use some food and proper rest. You seem preoccupied."

Your exit was once again blocked by a giant claw and you turned to stare inquisitively at your captor. He was glowering at you.

"You aren't going anywhere, sweetheart. Like I said, you're a part of my collection now." He growled, and you quirked an eyebrow at him as you laid a hand on your hip.

"Oh really?"

"I'm not about to let something as shiny and valuable as you walk out of here. You're something precious."

"Yeah?" You replied, "then maybe you should start acting like I am. I don't exactly like being ignored for a lousy dish. No matter what kind of metal work it's got on it."

Tamatoa seemed taken aback, as he stood straighter and stared down at you with an odd look. He looked to be mulling something over.

You continued to stare at him, even as he averted his gaze awkwardly, and he finally reached out to pluck you up from the ground gently with one of his large claws.

He brought you close to his face, and you scrunched your nose at the smell that came off of him at such close proximity.

"You're seriously demanding my attention? You got something wrong with you? Cause nobody has ever wanted my attention without some other devious reason."

You leaned forward in his claw, elbows resting against it as you rested your chin in your hand. With your free hand, you gently tapped a slow rhythm into his claw as you focused on one of his eyes to get some semblance of eye contact.

"I just really like being the center of attention, babe. Living on my own is not my ideal way of life, and you're the first thing that hasn't actively tried to kill me in weeks, so I'll take what I can get."

Tamatoa chuckled and placed you on top of another mound of gold. You picked up a goblet set with stones of varying colors and sizes to keep your hands busy. Tamatoa turned to dig through another pile behind him, and you watched curiously. 

He pulled something from the pile and turned, holding it out to you. You leaned forward to get a look and found a bejeweled circlet nestled in his giant claw. It looked tiny and fragile compared to him. You glanced at him and he just held it closer to you, so you took it and set it on your head with a smile.

You sat back on your hands and flicked your hair over your shoulder. You didn't miss the way Tamatoa's gaze lingered on your gauges.

"That's more like it. Now, what do you have for entertainment around here?"


	4. Marble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The food issue is taken care of, but in a fairly questionable way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all the creatures I mention in this chapter are from real Pacific Island mythology, as far as I know. I used [this website](http://www.mythologydictionary.com/pacific-islands-mythology.html) to look up most of the various monsters.
> 
> tw for more graphic gore someways into the chapter.

From your new perch on the mounds of gold objects, you watched Tamatoa scuttle about, polishing his treasure and occasionally turning back to you to make sure you were still there. The longer you stayed, the more he turned; and each time you met his gaze, he would look confused, like he expected you to escape.

You would, of course, have to leave at some point, but for now you had a place to stay that was pretty close to your tastes.

Tamatoa grumbled something under his breath and you looked up to act like you hadn't been staring at him and his gold-covered back for who knows how long. There was a tunnel in the ceiling that ran straight into the ocean above. A school of fish darted back and forth near the end of the water.

Tamatoa grumbled again, and you realized he was actually talking to his treasures.

One of the (admittedly many) perks of spending so much time in the courts of kings, Pharaohs, and the like, was the stream of other cultures that flowed in and out for trade and negotiations.

As you would work on a piece, you would occasionally get foreign visitors who seemed interested in your work. Since the length of each job varied between taking one week to six months, you could meet with foreign entities often. Over the course of about fifteen years of this, you were proud to say that you became well versed in many languages.

You recognized Tamatoa's language from an island man a long time ago, but it was not quite the same as what you could remember. You hadn't actually learned much from the language beyond some very basic terms. "Art," "please," and "purchase" were some that came to mind.

How you could so clearly understand the giant crab, as well as communicate with him, was beyond you, but you chalked it up to whatever it was that allowed a crab grow that large in the first place. 

The relative silence was broken when your stomach gurgled. You hadn't exactly eaten that morning, thinking that you wouldn't be out for too long. Now you were paying the price for your foolishness.

Tamatoa turned to you inquisitively.

"What was that?"

You shifted awkwardly and looked away from him.

"Was that  you ? You sound like Nevinbimbaau at some of those human ceremonies she likes so much."

"I have no clue who or what that is, but I'm taking offense."

"She's-"

"Do you have anything to eat?"

"Oh, so it was your stomach? Humans are  weird ."

You raised your eyebrows at that. "You're a larger-than-life crab, and you're calling  me weird? Have you seen yourself?"

"Of course I have! And I know I look good, you don't have to remind me, but do it anyways."

You snorted and shook your head in response. He chuckled back and moved to the center of the room and stood directly beneath the tunnel. He shook himself for a moment, and just as you began asking what exactly he was doing, several large fish came falling out of the tunnel and onto the ground in front of him. He looked proud of himself.

"You said you were hungry, right?"

You stared at the fish flopping weakly on the ground and shivered in disgust.

"I'm not eating that."

"Is this about you humans needing their food cooked? I'll let you make a fire." He huffed, but you only stood and shook your head.

"I've had fish before, and it does horrid things to my skin. I do  not eat fish. Unless you want me covered in hives and itchy, there is no way I am eating that shit."

You slid down the gold to the ground and headed to the exit of the cave.

"You can't just leave!"

"Well, I need food, and I know where to get it. It's on the ship I came here on, and if you don't like me going alone, you can either suck it up or come with me."

He groaned dramatically, but got up properly and followed you as you headed back out into the world.

Quickly, you scrambled onto a tall rock to get your bearings. As you crouched on top of the rock and took in what was around you, Tamatoa lumbered after you, grumbling as he went.

In the distance, you recognized one of the large trees you often climbed  for its fruit and nice vantage point, and you slid off the rock to begin making your way towards it. You swerved in and out of the non-dangerous foliage out of habit, forgetting that you were being followed by one of the residents of this land. Said resident did not care one bit about being seen.

* * *

 

Tamatoa watched you curiously as you weaved through the land. You acted differently out here than you did in the cave.

You were closed off and on edge, and he could now see just how the rumors about you being a monster from the surface came to be. Your movements were calculated, never a toe out of line, and the determined look on your face was something he wouldn't want to face head on. The natural glow of the island gave your tattoos a shine that made you look ethereal, but here in Lalotai, beauty was the trait of creatures more dangerous than most. The flowers that could eat a pouaki whole were some of the most beautiful plants the world had to offer, but of all the vicious plants, it was the most feared.

That was  why so many monsters in Lalotai glowed. It was some of the reason he covered his shell in gold. Gold was far more bright and pretty than any bioluminescent purple goo.

You vanished from his sight quite suddenly, and he stopped to scan the area for any sign of you.

* * *

 

From beneath the low hanging plant fronds, you watched your surroundings. Tamatoa was looking for you, and getting huffy about your disappearance, but that wasn't what you were on edge about.

You had heard something following the both of you, you were sure. Either it was your imagination working up, or a very stupid monster. You crouched down low to watch the area, and just as you were about ready to give up, you saw it.

It slunk about like a weasel, with its long body, but it had the head of a large cat, and the tail of a snake or lizard. Two large fangs like that of a venomous snake could be seen when it opened its mouth. The rest of its teeth glowed a fluorescent blue.

It seemed to be slowly stalking Tamatoa.

You glared. He may be keeping you as some twisted version of a prize, but if anyone was going to get the glory of killing him, it would be you.

You stalked the monster as it crept up on Tamatoa, who turned and seemed to catch sight of you.

"What are you doing? I don't want to play games-" he stopped when he saw the monster you followed, and just looked confused. He was much larger than the creature, but being small had its advantages too. From your perspective, you could see a multitude of weak spots scattered about his underbelly and throat, and you had no doubt that the predator before you could see them too.

Tamatoa clearly wasn't one to go out and participate in this land of the survival of the fittest.

Before he could get another word in, you launched yourself at the monster, but it must have seen your movements or shadow, for it turned quickly and jumped towards you. With a hiss and a splatter of glowing spit, it sent an attack right back to you - all teeth and talon-like claws.

You, however, knew not to go into a fight unprepared.

You unsheathed your copper knife from where you had hidden it in the waistline of your skirt.

Sure, it got several claws hooked on your shoulder, but in the end, you were the victor. After stabbing it in the gut and slicing upwards, making a long slit in its belly, it screamed, writhed, and fell limp in your arms. You held it in one arm and wiped your face with the other. When you looked up, Tamatoa was staring in shock.

You looked back at the creature whose blood now covered you and the grass beneath your feet. You hadn't faced one like it before, so it must not have made many trips to the area you had taken your claim. The blood was a reddish purple, and the organs you could see twitching in their places were dark purples and blues.

You shrugged, hefted the monster over your unharmed shoulder with a grunt, and started walking in the right direction. Your cuts were not too deep, but you would have to patch them up when you were somewhere safe again. Tamatoa followed not long after.

You walked in silence until you could see the faint glow of your ship.

"What was that about?" Tamatoa finally asked.

"What?"

"The slaughtering of that Taua. Viciously. Without any remorse. I thought humans were generally squeamish with that kind of dealings."

"Taua, huh? It deserved it, for stalking us for so long." You shifted to keep it over your shoulder, and its limp head knocked against a rock as you did. "Sounds to me like the humans you know of haven't faced many hardships in their lives. The only people who squirm at the thought of killing something for survival are people who haven't had to survive before. If something was attacking your very existence, would you hesitate to punch it? Would you try to say that maybe you should talk to the thing that is trying to kill you? I wouldn't."

The giant crab only hummed and stared at the ship you were fast approaching.

"That's where you've been living?"

"Mmhmm..."

"It's bright."

"Fire is a blessing, yes. Sehkmet, as bloodthirsty as she was, brought with her such beautiful things."

"Who?"

"A lion goddess of my land. She massacred thousands of my people before getting drunk and turned calm by her father."

"... between the animal heads and drunk lions, I do not understand your land at all."

"I apologize for your culture shock, but you come from a land literally beneath the ocean itself. That doesn't make a lick of sense at all to me, yet here I am."

You reached the edge of the land and threw the carcass over the gap. It fell half inside, half dangling out of the ship. You clambered across the steep rock face you had made your path, and Tamatoa waited impatiently on the land. When he objected to you going onto the ship alone, you just waved him off and dragged the Taua creature into the storage room you had made for your food.

Dead monster bodies, as it turned out, smell far worse than other meats. You found that out within your first days here, so you knew to close your mouth and covered your nose as you walked into the room that stank of sulfur and old blood.

Several dead bodies, with a range of cuts on them from you cutting off portions of them, hung from the rafters of the room. In the corner sat some crates of softly glowing fruit. You threw the Taua body over one of the rafters and went to the crates to find one suitable for carrying across the land.

Once you found one, you piled some fruits in, then cut off some pieces of dark monster meat and wrapped them in some cloth that was lying around, possibly from a dead crew member. Once your food crate was full, you moved it up to the top deck then went to your room.

Your supply trunk was large and heavy, but if you told Tamatoa that it was necessary, you doubted he would refuse to carry it for you. You opened it, to make sure you still had everything.

The sketchbook and charcoal you had taken this morning were not there, but you hoped that you could go search for them after you got settled and Tamatoa would let you out without supervision. Otherwise, the trunk held your pigments and paints, brushes, a lump of drying clay, a huge abundance of charcoals and pencils and pens, as well as enough bricks for a small forge and some flint.

You nodded, closed the lid, and began dragging the whole trunk out to the deck. It took a few minutes, but you had practice carrying it from place to place for years now, and at least you didn't have marble blocks for carving anymore. That month had put a lot of strain on your back.

When you got to the deck again, Tamatoa was waiting impatiently on the edge of the land. He was big enough that he could easily reach over and pluck you off of the ship without a thought. You could use that to your advantage.

"Could you take this stuff over there?" You called over to him, and he sighed.

"You want me to do all the work?"

"Must I remind you that I collected the things, and saved your life from a monster?"

He grumbled but reached over and took the food crate first and then your trunk. The trunk shifted in his large claw, nearly giving you a heart attack, but it wound up on the other side intact. You were going to climb over the way you usually did, but he picked you up before you could refuse and your feet were touching dirt in seconds.

"Thank you. Now, I can carry the food crate, but I was hoping you could put my trunk on your back or something? It's heavy and we have quite a walk."

"Why do you need it?" He looked down at it curiously.

"Well, it's my arts supplies. I figured that if I were to be living in your cave from now on, I should keep my most prized possessions closer. It also gives me something to do."

Your promise of staying with him seemed to cheer him up considerably, and he picked up your trunk carefully and set it on his back, making sure that it wouldn't fall off.

"Let's get back quick. I don't like leaving my treasure alone for too long."

You chuckled, hefted the food crate with a bit of protest from your hurt shoulder, and set off in the direction of his cave.

* * *

 

Settled into your new home, you made a corner of the cave your own, with various art supplies scattered about and the piles of gold around you organized into the vague shape of walls. A large tapestry was draped over the piles to create something akin to a ceiling.

You had dug out a small trench outside of your spot and filled it with tinder and wood, then placed your bricks over it. You hoped that when you lit the tinder in the trench it would heat up the bricks for cooking your meat. You had been able to cook on the ship, but not very well since you had to be careful on the ship made of flammable wood. This seemed to be a much better solution.  


The fire took, and as the bricks heated up, you grabbed some of the meat you had and used your knife to cut what looked like a pale pink liver into strips. A bunch of small fruits you had no name for sat in a golden bowl beside you, and you ate them to tide yourself over for the real meal.

Tamatoa glanced over at you when you finally put the meat on the stone; the sizzling must've caught his attention.

"Hold on."

You looked up curiously, but didn't stop putting slices on the hot stones.

"What is that? What are you cooking?"

"I think it's a liver."

"Is that from here? From one of the creatures  here ?"

"What else would it be? There isn't anything else of sustenance here."

" That's what you've been eating all along? I thought you meant you had food from the surface."

"Tamatoa, I really don't know what your problem is. Here I am just trying to live and you're giving me shit about my eating habits."

He looked genuinely troubled, but you didn't really care. You flipped a few slices of meat. They had turned a deep red as they cooked, and the smell had become tolerable, though it would be much better with spices.

"Humans can't eat monster flesh." Tamatoa had scuttled closer and was peering down at you curiously.

"How so?"

"Those monsters are the children of gods. They are made of magic. Humans are one of the least magic creatures in the world, and when they gain magic, it changes them."

"Really." You said, flipping more meat and taking some off of the stone and placing it on a silver platter.

"I knew you acted strangely for a human, the food of Lalotai must have affected your head."

"Look, Tama." You set the fork you had been using to prod your meal with down, and looked up at him with a bored expression. "I am the same as I have been. Believe it or not, humans are not all the same. I might be considered special because I can take on many personalities, but that is a learned trait. You can't just believe that all humans you meet are going to be the same. When was the last time you even saw one?"

"A month ago, actually."

You were actually surprised. While it had been a while, it was far sooner than you had expected.

"She came down with that semi-demi-mini-god Maui, distracted me, stole from me, and put a terrible dent in my ego. Made a mess of my cave, too. I spent weeks reorganizing my collection."

"Sounds rough."

"Yeah, it was."

"You're not going to stop me from eating this food, Tamatoa." You said, and stuffed a strip of meat into your mouth before taking another piece off of the stone. Tamatoa grumbled.

"It's not good for you."

"So you say." You mumble from around your mouthful.

"Is there anything different about you that you have noticed?"

"I'm talking to a giant crab."

He sighed and got up to return to his gold piles, but you swallow your food and call out to him.

"I'm serious."

"Yes, I know. I'm the crab."

"No, I can talk to you. I can understand you. This is not my mother language, or a language I know. But despite me only hearing something like it once, years ago, I can understand and speak to you fluently."

Tamatoa turned and looked confused.

"What is your mother tongue?"

"kunt sltaeun sakhif." You said, the Arabic feeling odd in your mouth after not speaking it in so long.

Tamatoa was perplexed.

"I have never heard that before. Where do you come from?"

"Egypt."

"I have never heard of that."

"I assume you don't get out much, being on an underwater island and all."

He huffed, but you could see a faint smile pulling on his mouth.

"It doesn't sound anything like any of the island languages. The magic in the meat could be affecting your brain in a positive way, I suppose."

"Have you seen a person eat monster before?"

"I've heard stories, but not personally witnessed it before. The tales usually end with the human being shunned from their homes and winding up here permanently, where they become one with the land, either by being eaten or becoming one of the monsters."

"Well, they are just stories. Maybe it only translates languages."

You took the last pieces of meat of the stones and sat back to finish eating, and Tamatoa went back to his organizing. You honestly didn't feel any different, so Tamatoa was probably just a paranoid crab.

When you finished your meal of strange liver interspersed with the odd little fruits, you undid your little makeshift stove and set it aside to clean later. For now, your body was feeling the effects of being paralyzed, attacked, and finally getting a large warm meal, and you drifted off to sleep in a golden boat at the back of your corner.

* * *

 

Tamatoa wasn't convinced that your diet was healthy, though. The faint glow that emanated from your tattoos as you slept when he shut the skylight did nothing to ease his concern.

He would have to consult someone older than him about this, as much as he hated to admit it.


	5. Tin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet Lehua, the warm helper goddess, and get angry. those events are only kind of related.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lehua is my friend, Galaxy_Rider's oc, and i love her
> 
> this was gonna be longer but then i got lazy. But this chapter starts the actual reason I wrote this in the first place, and it's ridiculous but is my only complaint with Moana whenever I watch it

"I don't understand why we have to do this." you grumbled as you walked beside Tamatoa through the underbrush. "And if you keep walking over those ferns they're going to attack you. They don't like it when their kin get stepped on."

"Relax, I've got a hard shell. And my shell is covered in metal."

"Your underbelly isn't and-" you stopped, suddenly taking in what he said in. You instantly grew flabbergasted. "Are you implying you think that having _gold_ of all things on your back is going to protect you?"

"Uh, yeah. It's metal. Metal is tough. And it's pretty."

You sighed and started walking again as you rubbed your forehead.

"There's so much wrong with that but I will let it drop for the time being." You muttered and scrambled up a boulder that was blocking your path. "But you are getting such a lecture when we get back." You were talking more to yourself than to him, but you didn't care.

As you shimmied down the other side of the boulder and caught up to Tamatoa, you tried to change the topic.

"Where are we going again?"

"We've gotta summon a goddess so she can make sure you aren't changed from your diet."

You groaned. "You're still on that? Gods, this is not necessary. I feel fine."

"It's a precaution. I don't want my prettiest collectible to die on me or something."

You rolled your eyes but shut up.

The two of you reached an area of dark grey stone. Large pillar-like stones jutted out of the ground in a ragged circle, and the area inside was void of any glowing material. No creatures lurked close by.

At the center of the circle, sat a small hollow pillar that spewed smoke.

"What is this?" You asked as you slowly approached it. You looked down into the smoke and far below the black gas, you could see the red glow of fire.

"Move over I've gotta drop this flower in there."

You looked up to see Tamatoa gently holding a red flower that looked more like a ball of spikes than anything that grew in nature. He let it drop into the thermal vent and you both took a few steps. You didn't know what was supposed to happen, but going with what Tamatoa did seemed to be the safest decision in this situation.

The ground beneath the two of you rumbled as more smoke poured out of the pillar and the glow became brighter.

You could be a reasonable, intelligent person, so it made sense that seeing an arm encased in coal and fire emerge from the smoke and grab hold of the edge of the pillar scared you shitless. You quickly scrambled up one of Tamatoa's legs and hid on his shell.

He turned to look at you and laughed in your face.

You ignored him as best you could and peeked over his shell to watch as a burning humanoid figure lifted itself out of the vent and fell face first onto the stone floor. They shook their head and stood as the flames died down to reveal a dark skinned woman with brown hair up in a bun. She wore a grass and canvas skirt and a half shirt with one strap over her left shoulder. She was very pretty, and looked like she could dead lift you over her head.

She looked around, and when her gaze landed on Tamatoa, her head snapped up to look at the ocean above.

To say that she got upset would be an understatement.

"Why did you summon me here? What the hell Tamatoa? What do you need now, you aren't stuck on your back again, what could you possibly need that warrants bringing me literally under the ocean? I am this close to serving crab legs at the next Ginem ceremony!"

"Hey, first thing, you promised to never bring up the getting stuck thing ever again. Second, I am here because..." he reached up and lifted you off of his back and gently set you on the ground in front of her. "... I need your help, Lehua."

As soon as her gaze found you, her expression softened and she smiled.

"You found yourself a human? Surprised that someone would want want to stick around you." She was a bit taller than you, and she cupped your face in her hands as she studied you carefully.

"Where do you come from, little one? I've never seen someone like you."

"I'm from the west. From what I understand, we do things differently than you do here. Who are you?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked up at Tamatoa bewilderedly.

"He says he's got a different set of gods from where he's from. They've got animal heads or something."

"Incredible... but an interesting human isn't going to save your hide, Tamatoa."

"I need you to make sure he hasn't been turned into a monster."

"I-what?"

"He's been eating the creatures of Lalotai for... how long have you been here?"

You shrugged. "Couple of weeks? I don't know."

"That long. I think it might damage him."

"Eating the monsters here? Oh... that's not good..." she gave you a once over then grabbed your face again and made you open your mouth. She prodded your teeth, gums, and then stared straight into your eyes for a few seconds too long.

She became increasingly worried as her examination went on.

"This... this could be very bad, Tamatoa. I don't believe he is hurt from the food, but on closer look he is not like other humans."

You groaned. "Oh come _on_ , humans are not all the same! We've all got different-"

"It's in your soul. Your very soul has become tainted with the magic you have consumed."

You closed your mouth with a snap.

"What's gonna happen?" Tamatoa asked, suddenly sounding genuinely nervous. Lehua gave him a perplexed look before staring at you again.

"I can't say for certain, but since it hasn't effected your body after this long, I doubt the symptoms will be physical. It would be best if you return to the human world, little one."

" _What?!_ " Tamatoa screeched. You just gave a hearty laugh and patted the goddess on her shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere, lady. I have a bed of gold here, why would I go back to a world that continuously kicked me to the curb until I started working for the rich? At least here I can do whatever the fuck I want."

She stared at you in surprise at your outburst, then her eyebrows slowly sank into a frown.

"I don't understand. I've worked with humans since before the sky was lifted. Humans don't- people are community based beings. There's no one kicking other to the side..."

You snorted.

"You're talking to a fourth generation market rat, sweetheart. I was hungry, dirty, and uncared for until the moment some noble decided he liked my art. So don't talk to me like you know how the hierarchy of the world works."

"I-"

"I'm not going back there willingly."

You turned and started walking out of the strange area, only stopping to turn to Tamatoa. "Are you coming or not?" You called, and after he shared a look with Lehua, he scrambled after you.

* * *

Neither of you spoke as you trudged back to Tamatoa's cave. You were too pissed about being told to leave this strange paradise to make small talk, and Tamatoa seemed to be thinking harder than you had ever seen him in the day or so you had known him. You slashed at the occasional curious vine that slithered toward you in search for something to eat, and Tamatoa's size chased away most of the smarter monsters. Any that came to close were chased off by your glare and knife.

When you got back to the cave, you kicked a golden chalice into a pile and huffed as Tamatoa scuttled in to get comfortable in the middle of his gold. He stared at you as you made your way to your corner and dug through your art chest.

"Ya know..." he muttered after a few minutes of tense silence. "Lehua has always known what's best for humans. She's a helper like Maui, but less... you know, self centered. If she says you should..."

"No." You said, without looking up.

"I'm just sayin, the water vents down here shoot water up to the surface, and you can use those to get out of here."

"I don't want to leave. Down here I'm free to do whatever the hell I want. Maybe if I need some supplies I'll go up there, but I feel fine and I don't want to go back."

Tamatoa looked away and fell silent as he thought. He squinted when he thought too hard, which pulled his mouth into a tight frown. You found the marked up rope you had been looking for and pulled it out of the trunk and walked over to the giant crab.

"Now about your gold back..."

Tamatoa looked at you in confusion at the change of subjects. The rope marked with numbers in your arms only served to make him more perplexed.

"Gold is the very last thing you want to cover yourself in for protection. Even tin is gonna be better cause it's fairly light for a metal." You dropped the rope at your feet and grabbed a gold coated plate and a solid gold painting frame.

"What are ya talking about?"

"I work with metal, Tamatoa. I know what I'm talking about." You held the two objects up to him. "What's the difference between these two things, besides the shape and use."

"What? They're both gold, I don't know, the shine?"

"The plate, Tamatoa, is actually tin underneath the gold. The gold is only gilded onto the plate, and the plate itself is more of a silver metal material that holds up well to tough situations. That's why you can put hot food on it and stuff it into a mess of dirty dishes. The frame? This heavy monstrosity that I want to melt down just so it never forces someone else to see it ever again? It's solid gold. It weighs too much to be able to be held on a wall, much less hold a painting inside of it. And, if I..." you bring it down so the bottom of the frame rests against the ground, and you stomp on the bottom of the frame, which easily bends under your weight.

Tamatoa made a distressed noise at the sight of the damaged frame.

"Gold is soft and heavy. It is the last thing you would want to use as a defense. It's only put into shields for decoration, not protection. What would be better is an iron-encased shell, which is then gilded with gold to make it pretty."

"And how exactly would you do that." He replied with an eye roll.

"Well I was gonna ask to measure your shell, then it would take a while to get the design down, and then the matter of getting the iron..." you looked around the cave, "I'm sure there's some gold-plated iron in here somewhere, but considering that you are so big it will take a lot."

"You're crazy if you think I'll let you mess with my shell."

"How about I draw up some plans before you make your choice? It's not fair to dismiss a project without seeing the possible outcomes."

He seemed to consider this, then shrugged.

"As long as you don't mess with the shell yet, do whatever."

You nodded and set to work.

* * *

It took a day or so for your to get together a few designs that you both liked and were actually possible. Unfortunately, each one required far more iron than you had at your disposal. Even if you convinced Tamatoa to let you melt down any iron materials in his collection, you needed a lot.

Of course, he had to agree to something, first.

You put the pages of sketches down before him as he polished something, and he barely gave it a glance.

"I don't care if you don't like them, but at least fucking look at them. I don't work hard on something just to be ignored." You glared up at him, and when he looked down at you again, he flinched back slightly, then actually inspected the pages with little more than a grumble.

You busied yourself with finding iron in his collection, though you only got through a few coins before he made an intrigued noise. You looked up to see he was holding up the third page, and glancing from it to his own back.

"What is this one?"

You smirked.

A few steps took you to his side, and he lowered the page enough for you to see it. You thought he would like this one.

"Fit for a king, yeah?" You grabbed the page and walked around him as you compared the design to his current back.

"The base is sheets of iron, hammered thin enough to be lightweight, but strong enough to withstand attacks. It's got some give to it, to bend with your shell, and in case you molt or something. It wraps around your belly, to protect your soft spots." You passed beneath him easily, touching a few terribly unprotected spots before exiting to his opposite side. "And what you probably noticed, was the walls. I can make them any shape, but I thought making it look like a crown would catch your attention. Runs all along the outside of your shell, so that we can still keep stuff on your back. But you won't have to make it stick, like you do now. I can make the outside gold, or just polish it to make it shiny. It's far more practical than what you have going on now, plus it's easier to switch object out as you see fit. cause again, they aren't stuck to you, they are held to you via the wall."

Tamatoa was deep in thought, so you sat down in front of him and waited for him to think things over. You don't think you've ever seen someone fight with themselves so much, and you've worked for a man in the middle of a civil war.

Finally, he sighed, and looked back at his back.

"You can do it?"

"I will need a hell of a lot of iron, but yes."

"Where do you get iron?"

You only pointed up.

He rubbed his chin and nodded.

"This could work. Lehua will be mad at me if you stay here. Maybe letting you come and go as you please will make her happy. And you might be able to work that stuff out of your system while you collect what you need."

"I don't care about magic in my soul or whatever. I really don't. But if that makes you happy and gets me what I need to work, I'll do whatever."

"You go talk to Lehua tomorrow. She can figure something out for transport, and any people who can help in the area."

You nodded. "Sure. Now if you'll excuse me, I've been up for too long making sketches, and I really need some sleep."


	6. Pumice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> back on the surface world for a time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was gonna be longer but i figured its been long enough since the last update lol, sorry, college eats up like all my time
> 
> this probably wont be much longer, cause this is the only one of my stories that i dont actually take seriously? idk why yall like it so much

Lehua wasn’t happy. Not in the slightest. But that apparently is what came with being a lava goddess being trapped under a mass of water. She was terrified of the ocean; and with it, sailing. So you couldn’t help but wonder exactly how she of all Gods was supposed to help you cross the ocean to get iron.

But here you were, before the goddess, asking for help on that very matter.

“I thought you didn’t want to leave.” She said with her arms crossed and hip jutted out. “Not that I’m not thankful that you are leaving, but what made you change your mind?”

“I’m not leaving forever. Only to get supplies.”

“Supplies for?”

“I am making Tamatoa an iron shell. It’ll work better than the gold monstrosity he wears now.”

Lehua blinked owlishly at you, then burst into laughter.

“It’s about damn time he got that redone! Honestly!” She smiled warmly, and waved you closer. You hadn’t been keen on getting too close to someone who seemed to hang out it volcanic vents.

“I can make you a magic boat. I assume you don’t know how to sail?”

“Yeah... how exactly do you assume that?”

“A skilled sailor wouldn’t have crashed into Lalotai.” She said with a smirk. You rolled your eyes.

“I’m an artist, not a sailor or whatever. You say the boat will be magic?”

“I’m scared of the ocean, but sometimes I have to cross it. I don’t know how to sail well either, though Maui has tried to teach me, I just don’t have the skills. So when I do need a boat I enchant it to move towards wherever needs me most.”

“And you can do the same for me?”

“A few adjustments to the spell, and it should take you to the closest land that has what you need.”

You sigh in relief.

“Thank you, Lehua.”

“Just promise you will try to do whatever you can to flush this sick magic out of your system. Eat human food, partake in human traditions, whatever you need.”

You nodded, and she went to her volcanic vent. She chanted something under her breath and a bright orange glow over took the area. You shielded your eyes in the crook of your arm. When you could see properly again, there was what you could only describe as a primitive raft on the ground before you. You stared at it in shock.

“That’s your idea of a boat?”

Lehua seemed taken aback.

“I-it’s a traditional canoe.”

You rubbed the bridge of you nose and sighed heavily.

“Never going to get used to life outside of Egypt...” you murmured before coming closer to the “boat”

“How will it work?”

“As long as you are touching the... what did Maui call it? Uh, this stick here that steers it. I don’t know the proper name. Touch it and it will move. If you are unhappy with where it takes you, talk to it to give it more specific details of what you want.”

You nodded. “And how do I get it up above?”

“I will take care of that for you, you just go tell Tamatoa that you have what you need to leave now. I will give you some rations from the human world to feed you on the first leg of your journey.”

“Thank you again. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.”

She smiled kindly. “I am a goddess of helping people. I do what I can.”

You have a polite bow, then scurried off back to Tamatoa’s cave.

He was pleased with the news, and showed you how to escape from Lalotai. You, however, weren’t that psyched about how the way out was through a high pressure water cannon.

* * *

When you emerged back into the surface, you were dripping wet, and your skin stung from being shot through a wall of water with another wall of water. It was hardly a nice experience.

But the canoe was waiting for you, and you had business to attend to. You had a satchel of supplies to test the strength of any iron you came across, and the boat had rations in a compartment within the frame, so you boarded, touched the stick Lehua said was magic, and the boat began to move.

The winds seemed always in your favor, considering how fast you moved. The sea breeze dried you off as you sped across the sea, though now salt stuck uncomfortably to your hair and clothes and skin. You spent the time on the water with one hand on the magic stick, and the other picking at the lines of salt drying across your body. It stung as you scraped it off, but it was something to do, besides stare at the horizon and wonder where you were going.

Your questions about your destination were answered as the sun began to set. You had passed a few islands, but never stopped. But now, you were riding up and over the reef of a larger island that looked to be populated with a village of stick and mud huts.

It wasn’t the type of company you particularly desired, but you had been alone for hours now, and without real people for weeks. You figured you should take what you can get, no matter how... poor it was.

There was a young woman standing on the shore, beside several canoes that were similar to yours. She had been practicing a dance, it had seemed, but she stopped and stared as you came closer, and when the boat stopped as it brushed the sand of the beach, she jumped and ran away with a shout.

You jumped off the boat, making sure to push it out of the water a bit more, so the water couldn’t steal it from you, then stood up and stretched.

The beach was deserted, but you could see smoke rising farther inland, perhaps the village was having dinner. You could go for some food, but you’d much rather get any iron they had to trade and go.

Lehua’s voice in your head reminded to take part in human traditions, but... well these weren’t your people. It wouldn’t be the same. You would rather wait and find your way further west before getting chummy with people again.

Excited chatter came from the treeline, and you turned to see the young girl from before, pulling along an older girl. She wasn’t an adult, for sure, but she held herself like one.

“Are you sure?”

“You said he had amazing tattoos! Like no one else you’ve ever seen! Of course it’s him! Come on, come on!”

They turned, the younger girl pointed at him, and the smile that had formed across the other girl’s face snapped into a frown.

“You... you are  _not_ Maui.”

“But Moana, his tattoos!”

“Did you forget that I said he’s also big, like a boar?”

“Everyone is big to me!”

Moana gave her a small smile and shooed her away, before approaching you.

“Who are you?”

“I’m just a traveling artist from far west. I’ve come in search of Iron.”

She tilted her head and looked at you oddly.

“Iron?”

“Like this.” You pulled a small iron ball from your satchel and handed it to her. She looked at it in confusion and awe, and you felt your heart plummet.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

You huffed and sighed.

“Figures. Then I’ll be off.”

You turned, but she grabbed your arm and gave you a small smile.

“I’m sure you’ve had a long day, it’s dangerous to sail for too long. Please, let me and my people treat you to dinner and a rest. You can go in the morning.”

You looked out to the horizon, at the steadily setting sun, and the vast emptiness of the ocean, then back at the island, where there’s at least a promise of people to fawn over you.

You shrugged, and nodded, and Moana led you up to her village.

* * *

The people of Motanui didn’t like you. Well, it wasn’t that they didn’t like you, but were wary. Which was ridiculous, because you hadn’t done anything to warrant such a response. But they stared at you like you were seconds away from attacking them.

Moana was the only one who treated you like a person, but even then, she eyed you carefully, as if there was something wrong about you. It was stupid. Clearly, it was them who were messed up.

“What brings you to our island?” The chief asked calmly as you sat with the village for a dinner of pork and root vegetables.

“I’m looking for iron. I need a lot. It’s a sturdy metal used for making tools and such.” You explained. “But if you don’t have any to trade it’s fine. I just need to make some adjustments to my boat.”

“Why do you need so much?”

“I’m making a big crab shell.” You said, then took a bite to avoid explaining further. These people could never understand your work.

Moana furrowed her brow and slowly put her food down.

“... how big?”

You shrugged, which didn’t seem to placate her at all. What was her problem?

Your ability to turn people out worked out in your favor, as you easily ignored any more questions about your work for the rest of dinner. A few younger kids asked about your tattoos, and whether you were a god of some sort, which was definitely more your type of questioning.

As dinner finished, people left to their homes. Moana offered you a spot to sleep in her home, since she insisted that you stayed, but you declined the offer. Without Tamatoa in the same room as a precaution, you didn’t want to not be able to see any threats, and four walls were hard to see through.

The chief put out the fire, gave you an odd look as you stayed sitting where you had been all throughout dinner, then left to join his family.

You stared up at the stars. You hadn’t seen them in so long, it felt odd to not see fish above you now. The air on the surface was so dry and hot compared to the dampness of Lalotai.

You had been doing nothing all day, just sitting, bored, so you weren’t exactly tired. You could probably slip away during the night and be forgotten by these people, come morning. Being forgotten wasn’t an ideal for you, though. You wanted to make a mark on all the people you came across.

Sitting was doing nothing for you. If anything, it was giving your leg a cramp or two. So you got up and wandered down to the beach. Even if there was iron on this island, it wasn’t in a useable form yet. It was still just raw ore in the rocks, which you couldn’t get out with your meager supplies. You would need to find the mainland, where more trade happened.

You paced the beach, letting your toes sink deep into the sand before taking each step. It was still warm from being heated by the sun all day.

Movement caught your eye, and you looked to a pile of old volcanic rocks, to see a large blue crab, pacing back and forth on his rock, much like you were on this beach. You approached it and watched as it poked around the holes in the rocks, perhaps looking for food. You were no animal expert, you only studied how they looked, not what they did on a regular basis.

“I’m putting up with a lot of shit for you, Tamatoa.” You told the crab, which looked like a smaller, dumber version of your current employer. “I can deal with eating on the floor when it’s my own survival at stake, but these are civilized people, and they don’t have tables?”

The crab grabbed some sort of centipede, and began nibbling it.

“I’m going to try to make it back soon, hopefully I can find iron quickly.” Logically, you knew it would take a few days to find the right place, but you could hope that it wasn’t half way across the world, right?

Something snapped just beyond the tree line and you jumped up and growled. It was instinct, at this point. You had spent your last week fighting for your life, no one could blame you. But when you turned to where the sound came from, with your mouth in a snarl, you saw the face of a fear-stricken Moana.

What the fuck did she want?

Instead of voicing this concern to her, you moved slow, flashing your tattoos carefully just as you had learned beneath the sea. Her fear fell away to entrancement and you moved ever closer until you stood above her and her face was slack from trance.

“Go home, Moana.” You whispered, close to her ear, and she nodded. “Go home, and go to sleep.”

She turned, and walked away.

Huh.

You had never had the chance to do that on a human; but that was interesting. Usually monsters ran from that display, or became sluggish, and easy to slaughter. but you had never been able to order them around. Maybe you could bring someone down to Lalotai with you, and have them do your dirty work for you.

Tamatoa probably wouldn’t like that, but maybe you really needed an intern.

You went back to the beach and spent the rest of the night watching the crab and the stars, hoping that you could return to your lawless land soon.

* * *

Moana sent you off in the morning, with a smile and a small bag of nuts from the island. She wanted to give you more, but you ensured her that you had plenty of food. She didn’t ask about the night before, which you were thankful for.

She waved from the beach as you took the canoe out to the deeper water, and set off. You have a curt wave, then turned to the magic boat.

“Ok, give me Iron I can work with. Not the raw ore form. Take me to a trader market with iron bars.” You told the boat, and when you touched the stick, which Moana called the rudder, the boat lurched and sped away from the reef of Motanui.

* * *

Moana’s smile fell once the canoe was passed the reef. There was something wrong with that man.

She remembered seeing him on the beach last night, talking at a crab, then she had made a sound, he turned to her with a vicious look on his face, and his tattoos glowed. He didn’t even seem to notice. Then all at once, she was in bed, and it was morning.

But she remembered what had made her make that sound in the first place.

He had said something about Tamatoa, the same monster that had nearly ruined her and Maui’s quest not long ago. He had said he was hoping to “come back soon” which meant he was going back and forth between the human world and the land of the monsters. None of the stories she had grown up with gave an explanation for any of this, which meant he wasn’t a god, and wasn’t a monster. If he was, there would be old stories about him. He must have been human, but why a human would go to Lalotai, much less survive down there, escaped her.

She walked through the village, and answered the few questions that her people asked her as she passed, though she was a bit distracted through it all. She was making her way up the mountain to where she had set a seashell on a carefully stacked pile of heavy, flat stones, just months before.

They had done a few voyages now that Te Fiti was healthy again, but they never left their island long. Her people had grown acclimated to this island, and few of them shared her love of the wide open water. They had been raised to fear it, after all. It would take work to get back to their ancient days.

When she got to the highest point on the island, she picked up her seashell and sighed, then sent something like a prayer out, hoping it would be heard.

“What’s got you looking so glum?”

She spun around, nearly dropping her shell, before clutching it to her chest and looking up at Maui.

“That’s was fast!” She cried.

“Well I was just passing by, a few islands over, really, but I’ve got great hawk vision, you know. Then I hear you send a prayer that’s less prayer and more just, long, internal sigh, so I figured you could use some of my help.”

She smiled.

“I’ve seen you face off with a very angry lava goddess. Not much can upset you like this, Moana, what’s wrong?”

She sighed again, and put her shell down.

“Have you been back to Lalotai? Since we’ve been there, I mean.”

“What? Why would I do that?”

“I just think, well, there was this stranger here yesterday, he’s like nothing I’ve ever seen, and he’s definitely human, but when he talked to himself, he talked about Tamatoa.”

“He talked to himself? I think that’s a bigger problem.”

“Maui! Listen! I think this guy is bad news! Could you please go back there and make sure it’s just my imagination?”

Maui made a big deal of sighing, and rolling his eyes, but at the end of it, he smiled gently and patted her on the head.

“Oh, I can’t say no to my biggest fan, now can I?”

She smiled.

“Thank you, so much.”

“No problem, princess.”

“Not a princess!” she shouted after him, but she was laughing as he turned into a giant hawk and flew towards the entrance of Lalotai.


End file.
